


Lone Wolf

by HowAboutThatSnapback



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Bullying, Fighting, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-18 03:28:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8147612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HowAboutThatSnapback/pseuds/HowAboutThatSnapback
Summary: Without Stan there to defend him anymore, Ford had to learn how to fight by himself.





	

## Chapter 1: It’s a Hard-Knock Life

Based on [this post](http://busket.tumblr.com/post/149088324548/thinking-about-ford-from-the-end-of-his-high) by [@busket](https://tmblr.co/mNQjrD9urMRNesXrRsoBi3Q).

* * *

Ford runs a hand though his hair and sighs as he packs his backpack. This is the third day since his brother’s been kicked out and it’s his first day going to school without him.

 _I don’t need him,_  he convinces himself as he throws his backpack over his shoulder.

He makes his way downstairs and shifts uncomfortably when he sees his mother looking out the window- she’s been doing that a lot in hopes that Stan comes back home.

“Uh, I’m going to school, Ma,” Ford informs as he opens the door.

She smiles at him, but it doesn’t have quite the light it had before. “Have a nice day, sweetie. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” he replies and then ducks out of the house, making his way to school.

 

On his way back it didn’t go as smoothly as it did making his way there…

“Where’s your dumb twin?” Crampetler asks.

“Leave me alone, Crampetler,” Ford says, gripping the shoulder strap tighter.

Something seems to click behind  the bully’s eyes as realization dawns on him. “He’s not here, is he? You’re all alone.”

Stanford should know better than to go this way without his brother, but he woke up late and this was the quickest way back home. He should’ve taken the long way and saved himself some trouble.

Stanford breaks into a run, ducking into the nearby alley and climbs the fence He gets just over it before someone grabs him and he pries himself free, losing his shoe. A small price to pay for the chance of walking away unscathed.

He lands on the other side and breaks into a run- one shoe down or not, he’s gonna make it somewhere where they can’t do anything to him. He gets about two blocks from home before he can’t bring himself to run anymore and he gets overtaken by his bullies.

Cramptler grabs his backpack and drags him down to the ground.

“Stop!” Stanford shouts breathlessly, scrambling up to his feet and trying to get as far from them as possible.

“Stay still, freak!”

“Let go!” Stanford shouts and punches one in the nose and another in the jaw before someone manages to grab him and hold him still against his will. Despite this he keeps fighting to get free. “Let go of me!”

“You’re gonna regret that, _freak,_ ” Crampetler says while rubbing his chin.

Stanford’s hopes of getting home unscathed are dashed immediately. A swift punch to the gut is all it takes to get all the air out of his lungs.

* * *

 _Damn it,_  Stanford thinks as he makes himself stand up. _One day… I can’t go_ one day _without the idiot._

He contemplates leaving all of his stuff on the concrete, but he knows better and he picks all of his scattered papers and books and stuffs them in his backpack. He grimaces seeing one strap torn off and the other barely hanging on by a handful of threads.

_Gotta get another one…_

With a sigh he holds the bag by the top fabric and trudges back home with his entire body aching. As he finally gets to his home he takes a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what will come on the other side of the door.

After several seconds he opens the door and he’s relieved to see no one immediately.

_Maybe I can make it to the room without anyone stopping me?_

Wishful thinking, really.

He makes it halfway up the stairs before his father’s voice stops him.

“You’re late.”

Stanford’s grip on the railing tightens with frustration. “Sorry, Pa…”

“What kept you?”

“…”

“I see… Your Ma put your food in the fridge. I’ll have Shermie bring it up to you while you do homework.”

“Thank you,” Stanford says, relaxing a little and then pauses once again asks, “Will you send Shermie up in ten minutes?”

“Sure thing.”

“Thank you.”

The best thing about his father is he knows when to give someone space and often will keep everyone away from him for a little while (though with the lovely Cassandra Pines she does what she wants). Honestly that’s the only thing he’s got going for him, really.

Stanford goes up to his room and locks the door as he closes it. He drops his book bag almost immediately and collapses on the bed. He should’ve done it carefully because his body screams at the sudden jostle of the collapse but he doesn’t care.

_Weak. Useless. Freak._

_You can’t even go one day without needing him! What’s wrong with you?!_  He thinks to himself. _Can’t you function like a normal person?!_

No. He can’t. He’s always been one of a pair. Reliant on his brother in more aspects than he cared to admit. Bullies? Stanley. Taking care of himself? Stanley. Getting around? Stanley. 

_Stanley, Stanley, Stanley!_

He tugs at his hair and growls to himself in frustration. _Why can’t I do anything without him?!_

After about two minutes of yelling at himself over his dependance on Stanley he releases his hair and lets out a sigh, resigning himself to one thought and one thought only:

_I will make it without him._

“Ford?”

He jumps in surprise and looks toward his door. He forgot Shermie was coming up with his lunch… dinner… whatever this is… _food._

Stanford gets up with a quiet grunt of pain and asks, “Yeah, Shermie?”

“I brought some food,” the boy replies. “Pa said you had a lot of homework and you’d forget to eat.”

Stanford opens the door with a smile. “Thanks, Shermie.”

Shermie’s dark eyes widen and he asks, “What happened?”

“We played dodgeball in gym,” Ford lies.

He’s never been so grateful that the boy was only twelve and would believe a good portion of the lies he was being fed if they were reasonable enough and delivered decently.

“Oh… well be careful next time, okay?” Shermie says.

“I will,” Stanford assures with a small smile.

Shermie walks out and Stanford locks the door again afterwards and sighs quietly.

He’s just lucky his mother hasn’t come up to check on him.

For now he decides to focus on taking care of any cuts he’s managed to get and takes out the first aid kid they’ve had stored in their room for so long he can’t remember it not being in the room.

He hisses a bit cleaning his own wounds and he hates he can’t see his own face to clean it- he’d have to go to the bathroom to use a mirror.

_No, that can wait…_

He picks up his plate of food and eats.

 _Stanley’s favorite,_  he thinks briefly and then forces himself to tear his thoughts away from his brother and think about what he’s going to do about becoming his own person.

His eyes wander to the clock and he decides it can wait- he has homework to do.


End file.
